Governor of Idaho
Terri Pickens
Attorney; 2022 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governorD
- Race
- Governor of Idaho
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponents
- Brad Little (R); John Stegner (IND); Paul Sand (LIB); Pro-Life (Constitution); Jacob Burnett (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did3 statements · 0 votes
I favor Proposition 1.
Protect legal access to abortion
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| Brad Little R | incumbent |
| Terri Pickens D | challenger |
| John Stegner IND | challenger |
| Paul Sand LIB | challenger |
| Pro-Life Constitution | challenger |
| Jacob Burnett IND | challenger |
Won the May 19 Democratic primary with 61.42%.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
I favor Proposition 1.
Supports Proposition 1, the ballot initiative to end Idaho's abortion ban.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Repeal. This program is set to explode in cost, as it has in other states.
Wants to repeal the state's private education tax credit.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
It's going to restore Medicaid expansion.
Said at an Oct. 6 forum that her first budget would restore Medicaid expansion.[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Terri Pickens is the Democratic nominee for governor of Idaho. An attorney and fourth-generation Idahoan from Pocatello, she was the party's 2022 nominee for lieutenant governor. Her stated priorities are preventing a nuclear waste storage campus in Idaho, housing affordability and removing the food tax, and restoring funding for public schools and rural hospitals; she supports Proposition 1 and wants to repeal the private-school tax credit.[1][2][3]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Pickens grew up in Pocatello, won a track scholarship to the University of Southern California and earned her law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law.[6] She worked about three years as a public defender in Nez Perce County in the late 1990s before founding her own law firm in Boise.[6]
Pickens is a Boise attorney and the founding partner of Pickens Law, and she lives in Boise.[7] She started and runs her own small business and has served on nonprofit boards.[2][3]
She was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, losing to Republican Scott Bedke.[1][8]
In their own words
Priorities
- Top priorities: keeping Idaho from becoming a nuclear waste site, addressing housing affordability and removing the food tax, and ending 'culture wars' to refocus on public schools, rural hospitals, the homeowners' exemption and wildfire preparedness.[4]
- Revisit recent tax cuts and re-fund services such as schools, rural hospitals, roads and bridges, and community policing.[4]
Statements, quoted without a stance
- Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
“For me, there won't be any 287(g) agreements for us to be having these discussions as to how we can support and train these folks.”[5]
At the Oct. 6, 2026 League of Women Voters of Idaho forum, per Idaho Capital Sun
- Loosen zoning rules to build more housing
“The State can find ways to speed the housing construction process by adjusting rules for builders and developers.”[4]
In the Idaho Capital Sun voter guide
- Raise taxes on high earners or corporations
“I will revisit those cuts for billionaires and re-fund the services, such as schools, rural hospitals, roads and bridges, and community policing”[4]
In the Idaho Capital Sun voter guide, on the 2026 budget cuts and tax cuts
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/terri-pickens
Compare all 6 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.2026 Idaho gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Idaho governor — 2026 General Election Voter Guide · Idaho Capital Sun · 2026-10-19 News report
- 3.Idaho Governor Candidate Q&A: May Primary Election · KIVI (Idaho News 6) · 2026-10-19 News report
- 4.Idaho governor — 2026 General Election Voter Guide · Idaho Capital Sun · 2026-10-19 News report
- 5.Pickens, Stegner pledge policy changes in Idaho gubernatorial candidate forum · Idaho Capital Sun · 2026-10-19 News report
- 6.Pickens sees path to Idaho governorship · Moscow-Pullman Daily News · 2026-10-19 News report
- 7.Democrat Terri Pickens announces bid for Idaho governor's office · Sandpoint Reader · 2026-10-19 News report
- 8.Idaho governor's race: Pickens, Stegner say they are in it to win it · Idaho Capital Sun · 2026-10-19 News report